Video: Akin’s new mea maxima culpa TV spot

posted at 8:41 am on August 21, 2012 by Ed Morrissey

Can Todd Akin hang onto his Republican nomination for the US Senate after a disastrous interview over the weekend, in which he questioned the legitimacy of rape claims from women who got impregnated by their assaulters? He’s giving it a try, with a new ad out this morning called “Forgiveness,” which ends the explanations and instead offers a mea maxima culpa while promising to get tough on rapists (via Politico):

“Rape is an evil act. I used the wrong words in the wrong way and for that I apologize. As the father of two daughters, I want tough justice for predators. I have a compassionate heart for the victims of sexual assault. I pray for them,” Akin says. “The fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy. The truth is, rape has many victims.”

Akin continues: “The mistake I made was in the words I said, not in the heart I hold. I ask for your forgiveness.”

The spot was produced by the Strategy Group for Media, which guided Akin to an upset victory in a multi-candidate Republican primary. For Akin to move ahead, he’ll have to apologize profusely (as in this ad) and move on from his problematic comments, return the focus of his campaign to McCaskill and her record in Congress, and win back support from the national Republicans who have condemned him when it becomes clear that he’s going to remain the party’s nominee for Senate. He’ll have to run an insurgent race and bet either that the GOP establishment eventually comes back on board — or that he won’t need them in the general election any more than he needed them in the primary.

The ad itself seems like a message that Akin still has no intention of dropping out before today’s 5 PM deadline in Missouri. It’s unclear whether Akin had the ad buys to put this on TV in the state today at all, or if that inventory is available otherwise. It would have to go into rotation for a while before anyone could calculate the impact of Akin’s apology, and whether voters believe it to be sincere. One thing seems sure: his mortification is sincere.

Missouri voters strongly disagree with the comments Todd Akin made about abortion over the weekend, but it hasn’t moved the numbers a whole lot in the Senate race. Akin leads Claire McCaskill by a single point, 44-43. That’s basically identical to our last poll of the contest in late May, which found Akin ahead by a 45-44 spread.

However …

It’s not that Missouri voters are ok with or supportive of Akin’s comments. 75% of voters, including even 64% of Republicans, say they were inappropriate to only 9% who consider them to have been appropriate. 79% of voters say they disagree with what Akin said, including 65% who express ‘strong’ disagreement with him. 51% of GOP voters say they strongly disagree with him.

All of that is taking a toll on Akin’s image. Only 24% of voters have a favorable opinion of him to 58% with a negative one. He’s pretty universally disliked by Democrats (3/85) and independents (21/61) and even with Republicans (43/34) he’s on only narrowly positive ground.

There’s another problem with this poll for Akin, one we don’t usually see from PPP — they significantly oversampled Republicans. The D/R/I on this survey is R+9 at 30/39/32, but even the GOP-sweep 2010 election had exit polls for Missouri showing an R+3 advantage, 34/37/28. I’m not sure I’d trust that one-point margin lead in this poll.

In this instance, I’d be more concerned about the deeply negative rating Akin gets at the moment and the angry reaction from voters to his comments, which also shows up in a Survey USA poll. A solid majority believe that Akin didn’t misspeak in his interview but said what he truly believes (55/32), which makes it more difficult to sell an apology after the fact. Almost the same percentage (54/34) want Akin to withdraw; that’s a minority opinion among Republicans, although significant at 33/52, but 58% of independents want Akin out of the race, and majorities of both men and women agree.

While this ad strongly suggests that Akin doesn’t have an exit strategy in mind, the day is still long. I would be slightly surprised if Akin remained in the race by 5 pm CT today.

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While this ad strongly suggests that Akin doesn’t have an exit strategy in mind, the day is still long. I would be slightly surprised if Akin remained in the race by 5 pm CT today.

Your more optimistic then I am. Aiken clearly believes he is having some mortal struggle he must endure for whatever reason. Draw up plans to make him and his staff persona non grata and use the resources somewhere else.

Go now.
Please Todd Akin, withdraw today from the US Senate race in MO. Do the right thing for MO and your country. The last thing we need is Claire McCaskill in the senate for 6 more years. The only path to keep a conservative supreme court is for a Republican US senate and you can not defeat McCaskill.

If he stays in the race he’s going to lose. Democrats went to great lengths to help get him elected because he is a buffoon that McCaskill can easily beat. When he loses and costs us at least the retake of the senate, the voters of Missouri should vote him out of congress all together at the next opportunity.

A lot of talk about Hannity, Levin, Senator Brown, etc., but what exactly happened in his Huckabee interview? What is Huckabee saying today on Fox & Friends? Was he ON Fox & Friends? He usually is if his name is mentioned. Care to guess what he’s doing behind the scenes? My guess is he’s badgering this guy and the missus to march on in Jesus’ name.

This f*** is not going to withdraw… He is totally irrational… However it is not over for the Senate seat in Missouri by any stretch of imagination…. The Republican Party in Missouri and the RNC are going to endorse a Republican to run as an independent and he is going to win the Senate seat even with this idiot Akin in the race…

He’s giving it a try, with a new ad out this morning called “Forgiveness,” which ends the explanations and instead offers a mea maxima culpa non-apology applogy while promising to get tough on rapists (via Politico):

A lot of talk about Hannity, Levin, Senator Brown, etc., but what exactly happened in his Huckabee interview? What is Huckabee saying today on Fox & Friends? Was he ON Fox & Friends? He usually is if his name is mentioned. Care to guess what he’s doing behind the scenes? My guess is he’s badgering this guy and the missus to march on in Jesus’ name.

Marcus on August 21, 2012 at 8:51 AM

Leave the christian bigotry to the liberals and there web sites, it does not belong here.

If he stays in the race he’s going to lose. Democrats went to great lengths to help get him elected because he is a buffoon that McCaskill can easily beat. When he loses and costs us at least the retake of the senate, the voters of Missouri should vote him out of congress all together at the next opportunity.

Certif on August 21, 2012 at 8:50 AM

Even if he stays we are not going to lose because we will run a Republican as an independent and his going to win even with this fool Akin staying in the race….

Romney, Ryan, McConnell, Boehner, Priebus, and heck, even the Koch brothers need to call this guy and tell him to stop thinking about himself and do what’s best for his party and his country. He should resign immediately. The words “legitimate rape” are going to follow this guy around the rest of the campaign season.

I heard he held a prayer session, hopefully he remembers proverbs 16:18

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

Skwor on August 21, 2012 at 8:47 AM

That’s what it sounds like. If this arrogant pr-ck really thinks he has any shot at winning this race, then he deserves the hatred that’ll be directed his way every single day for the rest of his life.

You don’t need to pray to God, Todd. He sent you about as clear a message as possible yesterday. EVERYONE wants you out of this race! You have no money. No support. No chance. Ask yourself how you want to be remembered when this is all over. The man who potentially handed the Senate to the Dems and with it Obamacare is probably not the way you wanna go out.

This mea culpa is stupid. You didn’t misspeak, Todd, the very premise of what you were trying to say was biologically wrong. You weren’t even close to anything resembling the truth and you managed to accomplish that while being extraordinarily insensitive too.

The fact is, Mr. Aiken, it doesn’t matter that you apologize and that others have done (and will do) worse. The Lamestream media holds our side to a higher standard. That’s just he way it is. You won’t get a pass on this. So if you can’t perform at the highest levels required then you have to leave for the good of your fellow Republicans and the country. We’re not playing games here. We’re playing for the future of America.

The frustrating thing about this whole controversy is that it was so unnecessary. If Akin believes that life begins at the moment of conception and that abortion is murder, then he could have justified his opposition to abortion for rape victims by explaining that it is ideologically inconsistent to oppose abortion as murder, but then make an exception for babies conceived as a result of rape and/or incest. Murder is murder, and you can’t justify the murder of an innocent baby simply because of the manner in which the baby was conceived.

A lot of people would have disagreed with Akin if he had expressed that view, but at least he would not have exposed himself as ignorant of basic biology.

This non-specific half-walkback but stick to his guns shiny turd is what he and his handlers believe will win back votes?

Ha ha ha what a hilarious piece of ignorant deluded trash.

Squirm, GOP, squirm

Dave Rywall on August 21, 2012 at 8:59 AM

You know the difference between the GOP and Democrats? The GOP is rallying to remove this ignorant deluded trash from the ballot while Democrats would be circling the wagons in support of him. As evidence I point to basically every elected Democrat and nominated Democrat in the country.

kingsjester on August 21, 2012 at 9:00 AM
—–
If the best retort you can come up with is the tired “this has nothing to do with countries outside my border” + a racist slur then maybe you should just shut your hole.

This presumptuous man has apparently convinced himself that his campaign is a mission on behalf of God. Supposedly his wife is also totally against him dropping out.

Akin is thinking more about his own political career than the issues he pretends to care so much about. He is willing to let his own personal ambition threaten our ability to retake the Senate and hurt Republican chances elsewhere, including in the presidential race.

If he stays in, his selfishness is going to ensure that we talk less about Obama’s economic failures and more about how those “mean, stupid and extreme” Republicans supposedly have no regard for female rape victims and don’t even know how the human body works.

This non-specific half-walkback but stick to his guns shiny turd is what he and his handlers believe will win back votes?

Ha ha ha what a hilarious piece of ignorant deluded trash.

Squirm, GOP, squirm

Dave Rywall on August 21, 2012 at 8:59 AM

Yeah keep deluding yourself liberal scum that this would do anything to the state of the elections… LOL… Even if this idiot does not withdraw the Republican party is going to endorse another Republican and run him/her as an independent and he/she would win the Missouri Senate race even with idiot Akin in because that is how much McCaskill is hated in Missouri…

The GOP needs to send a strong message, NOW. Strip him of his party membership, and let it be known to everyone who either works for, or campaigns on behalf of this jackass that they will be permanently blackballed from ever working in the field of politics again.

Did not and refuse to watch that ad. But did he say anything about continuing his campaign in that ad? Can the ad truly be an apology to save his honor before withdrawing later in the day? Oh, I can only hope.

I can’t even blame Akin. The fault is with the crazy that keeps nominating gadflies like him. Everybody knew he was a gaffe-prone wacko yet they still voted for him because he talks so much and with so much eloquence about God.

This mea culpa is stupid. You didn’t misspeak, Todd, the very premise of what you were trying to say was biologically wrong. You weren’t even close to anything resembling the truth and you managed to accomplish that while being extraordinarily insensitive too.

GTFO.

Red Cloud on August 21, 2012 at 8:59 AM

Yes , if it was a legitimate misspeak an experienced politician have ways to shut their whole face down. But no , he was going on and on as if he liked it.

Did not and refuse to watch that ad. But did he say anything about continuing his campaign in that ad? Can the ad truly be an apology to save his honor before withdrawing later in the day? Oh, I can only hope.

Can the ad truly be an apology to save his honor before withdrawing later in the day? Oh, I can only hope.

bayview on August 21, 2012 at 9:08 AM

If that’s the case then I’ll forgive him.

But not until then.

Prove you can put your country before your own ambitions, Akin, and I promise I won’t think of you as a creepy, desperate a-hole willing to sell out his constituents and his countrymen just to hold onto his own tenuous grasp on power.

You’ve got 8 hours left to withdraw. If you don’t, you’ll be the most hated man in America.

I was hoping I’d come to Hot Air this morning to learn that he’d thrown in the towel. I just cannot believe he thinks there’s a path to victory over this, and he may end up hurting other Republicans as well.

I wouldn’t vote for anyone who talked like that, no matter what he said the next day. What makes me so angry about politicians like him is that instead of just doing the honorable thing and dropping out of the race, they put their own selfish interests first and stubbornly refuse to give them up. Doing so can cause damage to the whole party. The public shouldn’t have to force him out. The RNC chair asked him to leave and his response is to put out an apology ad and drag this out as long as he can? NO! Go away.

I really surprised how so many hotarians have abandoned Akin. despite his fumble, he his the type of “true conservative” that many love to defend til the bitter end.
does this mean that the pragmatic (read establishment) section of the GOP finally won?

another thing is, if actually the GOP rallied behind him and minimized his comments, would probably be less damaging that than this GOP fueled media hype to try to push him out.

this is really a concerted strategy. who in the GOP decided to try to push him out so fast and so strong? is it really a right thing to do? would not be wiser if the GOP just distance itself from Akin comments without pressuring to leave?